The Maharashtra results have dealt a sharp blow to the Congress party’s morale which had seen a short burst of revival post the Lok Sabha results. The election in Haryana where the Congress failed to wrest the state away from the BJP could have been written off as an aberration but after the Maharashtra debacle, it does seem as if the Lok Sabha polls were a one off.
There have been many editorials post Maharashtra bemoaning the state of the Congress, from its failed local leadership model to the ineffective Central leadership. For its failure to put together an effective narrative to counter the BJP as they had managed to do in the Lok Sabha. The problem of repeating the Constitution Khatre Mein Hai (Constitution is in Danger) argument as the local level is that state assemblies do not impact the constitution with the same force as national polls do. Hence it failed to take off. And welfare schemes are always more impactful when made by the party still in power as they have the first mover advantage to show faith. The Eknath Shinde government not only announced the Ladli Behna scheme on the eve of the state polls (in August this year) but also managed to deliver three tranches including a Diwali bonus before the elections were declared.
The Eknath Shinde government not only announced the Ladli Behna scheme on the eve of the state polls (in August this year) but also managed to deliver three tranches including a Diwali bonus before the elections were declared.
The task for the Congress is not so much to look back, as it is to look ahead. The winter session of Parliament is on and they have not only Sonia and Rahul in parliament but also Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She enters the House with a hefty win and her presence may or may not enthuse the rest of the opposition but it does work wonders for the party cadres. She is seen as a fiesty leader, as well as one who is articulate and her rhetoric goes beyond the Adanis. This is essential as narratives of corruption without a direct link to the PM’s Office can only go so far. The indictment from the US does lend force to Rahul’s argument in making this one of the key issues to take on the government, but it should be clubbed with other issues such as Manipur, the clashes in Sambal, the stock market crash and inflation. Fortunately the Opposition has decided to take up all these issues.
The next election is the Delhi assembly which will mainly be contested between Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP. with the Congress playing the role of a bystander. From now on expect more rhetoric from the Aam Admi Party than the Congress, when it comes to taking on the BJP and the government. What the Congress can do is to outsource the opposition for a while and use this time to regroup and strategize.
